Financial Stability
C bank to put new LTL 20 banknote into circulation
LITHUANIA - The central Bank of Lithuania will put new twenty-litas notes into circulation on 17 December 2001.
Australia's RBA to deregulate credit card sector
AUSTRALIA - The Reserve Bank of Australia Friday proposed to deregulate the country's credit card system, forcing down fees and allowing retailers to recoup costs from customers.
Distribution of euros to start tomorrow
GERMANY - The mass distribution in Europe of new cash in euros begins tomorrow, when France, the Netherlands and Ireland begin to sell packets of euro coins to the public. Other countries will follow in the days ahead.
US Fed issues revisions to payments system risk
US - The Federal Reserve Board on Tuesday issued revisions to its policy statement on payments system risk that it said "should alleviate liquidity pressures" that were identified during a broad review of the policy.
Speech by Laurence Meyer of the Federal Reserve
SPEECH - Remarks by Governor Laurence H. Meyer of the Federal Reserve Board at the Distinguished Lecture Program, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, 5 December.
Spain to greet euro with video projection, TV show
SPAIN - Spain will welcome euro notes and coins 31 December 2001 with a television show and coordinated video projections in major squares across the country.
Notice from the Bank of Japan
NOTICE - The Bank of Japan has redesigned its web site, 3 December.
Argentina restrict amount of cash bank withdrawals
ARGENTINA - The Argentine government, desperate to stop a hemorrhaging of funds from the banking system, capped cash withdrawals from banks and limited the amount residents may transfer abroad.
BOE - Delivery/ payment system
UK - Bank of England Executive Director for Financial Market Operations, Ian Plenderleith, said Thursday the new delivery versus payment system for the settlement of securities trade in the U.K. was a success.
Banks deal with coin shortage in Australia
AUSTRALIA - Banks in some parts of Australia are experiencing coin shortages. The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), which recently implemented a new coin distribution system, blames the shortfall on teething problems with the new system.
€ Euro - French police break up euro strike
FRANCE - French riot police have forced their way into the only mint in the country producing euro coins, after a 10-day strike by workers over pay and conditions.
€ Euro - Portugal rolls presses again
PORTUGAL - The euro has brought banknote printing back to Portugal for the first time in almost a century. Since the early 1900s, the work had been outsourced, largely to the UK, for reasons of economy of scale. But the Bank of Portugal decided that it…
€ Euro - Fears over Thai impostor
NETHERLANDS - The Dutch vending machine industry has raised the alarm about similarities between the new Euros 2 coin and 10 Thai baht, which has been discovered to fit in most machines being prepared for the arrival of the single currency.
Real-time payment system operational in Russia
RUSSIA - Natalia Kochetkova, director of the payment systems and clearance department of the Central Bank announced that the bank had put into operation a system for the processing of payments in real time in Moscow and the Moscow Region.
Row threatens Finland's euro launch
FINLAND - A row between banks and retailers in Finland is threatening to disrupt the launch euro notes and coins.
Minimum standards for securities settlement system
REPORT - Central banks and securities regulators release recommendations for securities settlement systems, 12 November.
Speech by Deputy Governor, Reserve Bank of India
SPEECH - Inaugural address by Shri Vepa Kamesam, Deputy Governor, Reserve Bank of India at the Conference of CMDs of Public Sector Banks at IDRBT, Hyderabad on 2 November.
Security hole in cash machines
UK - A serious weakness has been discovered in the methods used by banks to protect the personal identification number (Pin) that lets you get money from a cash machine.
RBI to get real time gross settlement system, RTGS
INDIA - Logica India, the Indian subsidiary of UK-based computer services group Logica Plc, on Tuesday said it had been awarded a $16 million contract from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to implement a national real time gross settlement system (RTGS).
Litas banknotes well protected - experts
LITHUANIA - The Lithuanian national currency banknotes have more security features than the new E.U. currency, the euro, the central Bank of Lithuania said following visit by experts from the National Bank of Belgium.
European Parliament Press Release
PRESS RELEASE - Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs. Euro change-over: MEPs demand bigger effort from banks and retailers, 7 November.
Credit card issuers to benefit from Fed rate cut
USA - Issuers of credit cards, hurt by concerns the weakening economy will ramp up charge-off rates, may get a respite from the latest round of interest rates cuts by the Federal Reserve.
Bank of France aims to maintain note printing
FRANCE - The Bank of France has "the firm intention of remaining an important player on the European money printing market", according to Michel Perdrix, managing director of the note printing unit at the French central bank.
Armenia central bank puts silver coins into system
ARMENIA - The Central Bank of Armenia has put into circulation 170 silver and 30 gilded coins with denomination of 100 AMD on 6 November 2001.